Old Tool Rediscovered!

[HarrySmith]

If you have read my introduction here you may remember my experience when I was 15 years old with the phone guy who came to install a 500 in my bedroom. I was fascinated and followed him as he ran a new line from the street pole to my bedroom. He was very friendly and showed me everything, explaining as he went. The last thing he did was install the dial card after which he gave me the tool he used to remove the fingerwheel. I found the point made a good tool for cleaning resin out of my pipes a short while later. I lost track of it after a few more years, thought it was lost. When I got into phones I searched and searched for it to no avail. The other day I was hanging a sound bar for my TV and when I pulled out all my drill bit sets I FOUND IT! I am very excited to have it back. I remember the phone guy telling me a story about it but I do not remember the details, anyway, here it is:

[compubit]

Cool! I'm keeping my eyes open for a similar tool. (Tired of trying to use paper clips...)

Jim

[WesternElectricBen]

Very neat, I'd like to have one. Although, I bet it would not be too hard to make.

Ben

[Wallphone]

You used it for what, Harry? 
Not surprised that you couldn't remember the details.
Kinda surprised that you could remember there was a story behind it.

Doug

[HarrySmith]

It was the 70's Doug.

[Wallphone]

Yes Harry, I was there too, I think.
What I use (to remove finger wheels that is) is a pin vise.
I have seen them at the dollar store, although they were probably more than a dollar.
I just looked them up on eBay and you can buy Taiwan's finest for under $3 S&H included.
Then I insert the correct diameter drill bit so the shank sticks out.
A paper clip would probably work well in the pin vise too because it is grabbing it so close to the end.

Doug

[HarrySmith]

Yes, I remember the pin vise from an older post, I used that a few times as well as a proper Bell System tool, the piece of Drop wire, a push pin, a paperclip and several other things that were handy at the time. I really like this one because of the connection to my first 500 some 42 years ago!

[Dave203]

That's a cool story Harry 
After all the phone cleaning I've been doing this week I have been thinking of buying one of these tools. I bent paper clips and dug up the plastic on one but I think the dial was stuck.

Does anyone know what they used to remove the plastic finger wheel on a payphone? Mine seems to have some kind of lock or block in the hole where the paper clip goes.